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Toronto school trustees have voted to sell six closed school sites and sever land from six school playgrounds in their confidential capital plan now awaiting approval by the Education ministry, the Star has learned.

Initially, a provincial assistance team and board staff advised trustees to sell off land at 11 sites over the next three years to bring in $162.2 million.

But during a fractious private meeting Thursday evening, Toronto District School Board trustees decided to sell off portions of land at several operating schools to bring in funds to pay for urgent rebuilding and renovations.

Trustee Cathy Dandy refused to discuss specifics of the confidential report but said she felt it violated board policy.

Trustees have no business doing this without first consulting the community, as they pledged to do late last year after public outcry over the issue, she said.

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“The plan submitted to the ministry includes severing land, and based on the process we passed at our December board, I feel that we have violated our own procedure,” said Dandy.

“Staff is saying no, because (the procedure) doesn’t say when board approval occurs — but the spirit of this was that we talk to the community before starting to sever land, and it is wrong that we are not honouring that spirit.”

The December motion states that feasibility studies be conducted for land to be severed and “prior to any public consultation or decision by the board to sell severed property,” that the local trustee first be consulted, then the local community be consulted and given the chance to propose alternatives.

Board spokesman Ryan Bird said the capital plan “puts us on sound financial footing because it provides us with the ability to deal with priority projects in a fiscally responsible way.” As with all projects, “community feedback is important and we will be speaking with the school community directly over the upcoming weeks.”

Pending ministry approval, sources say the closed schools to be sold are: Appian, Boyne River outdoor education centre, Kipling Grove, Mallow, Regent Park and Vincent Massey. Portions of land are to be sold at the board’s large Bloor-Dufferin site, Davisville public school, Bannockburn, Fisherville, Don Mills and Peckham (Pleasant public school).

Once approved by the province, the board will have money to rebuild or renovate at several sites, including the overcrowded Avondale public school, Brockton, Albion Heights, George Webster and Davisville, among others.

Trustee Pam Gough said one closed school in her ward, Castlebar, was taken off the initial list given a nearby school is overcrowded. She hopes the site may one day be sold to fund renovations to accommodate the burgeoning population.

Another school, Silver Creek, which is leased out to a preschool for special needs children, is also off the list.

As for severing land from playgrounds, Gough said the city is interested in locating a skating rink at the Don Mills site so the land would still be in public hands. The other sites had their local trustees’ approval, she added.

“Hard decisions have to be made . . . and although I’m not entirely happy with aspects of it, I am happy that the board has decided to address its long-standing capital issues.”

Gough added it’s “extremely frustrating” to see schools in such a state of disrepair.

“The situation has to be addressed for the safety and well-being of students.”

A spokesperson for Education Minister Liz Sandals said she is “hopeful the TDSB’s capital plan will address the conditions to lift the capital freeze.”

The ministry expected to receive the board’s plan sometime Friday.

Last fall, it froze the board’s plans to build and renovate schools after a number of cost overruns, and sent in a special assistance team to help craft a multi-year capital plan.

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